Falcons Outdone in Shootout
March 7, 2003 - ECHL (ECHL)
Fresno Falcons News Release
SAN DIEGO â The Fresno Falcons rode 35 saves from Terry Friesen and his first points as a Falcon from Ryan Kiley to a 2-2 tie through regulation before falling in a shootout on Friday to the San Diego Gulls, 3-2, at the San Diego Sports Arena.
San Diego controlled play throughout the entire first period, outshooting Fresno, 19-4. But due to the stellar play of Friesen, it took the Gulls 18 shots and three power play chances before they finally got on the board. Just after San Diego's third power play of the period expired, Clayton Read found Sylvain Deschatelets alone in the slot, who wristed home his 18th of the season to give the Gulls a 1-0 lead heading to the second.
The Falcons tied the game in the second period off a two-on-one. Ryan Kiley kept the puck himself as Andrew Gardner went to the net before beating San Diego goaltender Trevor Koenig for his first goal as a Falcon after arriving from the Cape Fear Fire Antz of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League earlier in the week.
Tied at one entering the third, Fresno would take their only lead of the evening 2:17 into the frame. Kiley found Cory Murphy along the blueline, who then beat Koenig with a slapshot for his 15th of the season. The Gulls found the equalizer just six minutes later off a re-direct by Dennis Purdie, and the clubs headed to their second shootout of the year. It took seven rounds before Marc Busenburg beat Friesen for the winner in the extra session, and the Gulls prevailed by a final of 3-2.
Fresno picks up one point to move to 30-22-7 and 67 points. They trail the second-place Gulls by 10 points in the standings and the third-place Bakersfield Condors by eight.
The Falcons and Gulls battle one another again tomorrow night in San Diego. Catch all the live play-by-play action on 103.1 FM, The Mountain Cat, beginning at 6:50 p.m. with the Mail Boxes, Etc. Pre-game Show. Fresno then finally completes the longest road trip in franchise history with their 11th straight game on the road at Bakersfield against the Condors on Sunday.
ECHL Stories from March 7, 2003
- Bombers/Nutter Center to Host Dayton Jr. A Gems Before March 16 Tilt - Dayton Bombers
- Gulls Beat Fresno In Shootout - San Diego Gulls
- Falcons Outdone in Shootout - Fresno Falcons
- Bandits shutout Kingfish, 2-0 - Baton Rouge Kingfish
- Steelheads Cool Down Condors, 2-1 - Idaho Steelheads
- Sea Wolves Sink Stingrays in Overtime, 3-2 - Mississippi Sea Wolves
- Idaho beats Bakersfield 2-1 - Bakersfield Condors
- Inferno Playoff Tune-Up Continues with 5-2 Win over Grrrowl - Greenville Grrrowl
- Blades Clinch Playoff Berth With 2-1 OT Loss - Florida Everblades
- Jackals Finish Homestand 3-1-1 After Shootout Loss To Adirondack - Elmira Jackals
- Cyclones Stopped in Peoria - Cincinnati Cyclones
- RiverBlades Edge Men-O-War - Arkansas RiverBlades
- San Diego Tries for Fourth Straight Win - San Diego Gulls
- Countdown to Face-Off Kalamazoo Wings Vs Quad City Mallards - Kalamazoo Wings
- Ice Dogs Complete Trade Deal with Idaho - Long Beach Ice Dogs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Fresno Falcons Stories
